No Country for Old Men
Well all the time ya spend trying to get back what’s been took from ya, more is going out the door.
Ellis
The Intro
As always, these breakdowns contain SPOILERS, and are only recommended if you’ve already seen the movie. You can check my introduction to these breakdowns, to get an overview of my process and philosophy.
Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below!
The Basics
Director: Ethan and Joel Coen
Writers: Ethan and Joel Coen, Based on the book by Cormac McCarthy
Release Date: 2007
Runtime: 122 minutes
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372784/
Download The Script
Movie Level Goals
Protagonist: Llewelyn Moss then Ed Tom Bell
External Goal: Llewelyn (Acts 1-3)–Get away with the money
SUCCESS | FAILURE
Internal Goal: Ed Tom Bell (Act 4)–Figure out what it all means
SUCCESS | FAILURE | UNKNOWN
Three Observations
Observation #1: The Act 4 Left Turn
One of the most fascinating aspects of No Country for Old Men is the Act 4 Left Turn. Llewelyn is the protagonist of the movie and his movie-level and act goals provide the structure up through the Act 3 Climax. But of course, at the end of Act 3 Llewelyn is killed. He is found by Bell, who becomes the protagonist of the final act of the movie. This is obviously a highly unusual move, slightly reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. But I think it works, because of the structure of the external and internal goals…
Observation #2: Shifts in Alignment
Llewelyn is not an especially complex man. His goals are external and revolve almost solely around the drug money he has found. He has goals of getting the money, killing Chigurh, and escaping. What he doesn’t have is any sort of internal goal. And if internal goals provide the meaning, the question becomes, “What provides the meaning in No Country for Old Men?” This is where Bell comes in. He has already been introduced as a much more thoughtful character (partly because of his age) than Llewelyn. Bell picks up the story after the death of Llewelyn, and his goal provides the movie’s meaning–to try to figure out what it all means. Though he doesn’t provide any direct answers, his recounting of the dreams about his father, offers both Bell and us a way to try to make sense of the events of the movie.
Observation #3: Llewelyn’s Act 3 Change of Mind
One final moment of note, is Llewelyn’s Act 3 change of mind. In Act 2, Llewelyn’s goal is to kill Chigurh, as he realizes he’ll never escape with the money as long as Chigurh is alive. In the Act 2 climax, Llewelyn and Chigurh shoot each other and Llewelyn escapes into Mexico. Despite the masculine values that animate much of the movie, Llewelyn changes his goal (perhaps realizing Chigurh can’t be killed) and decides simply to try to get the money to Carla Jean and hide. But of course, his initial judgement is correct, and though Chigurh isn’t the one who kills Llewelyn, his choices lead to his death, reflecting the role that fate plays throughout the movie.